Paul Weamer was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. He learned the basics of fly tying and fishing from his father along the many rivers and creeks of the Juniata River System, particularly the Little Juniata River and its tributaries. In his mid-twenties, after spending a few years as a counselor working in public schools, Paul accepted a position managing a fly shop and fishing lodge along the Upper Delaware River in New York’s Catskill Mountains. This decision would impact the rest of his life. Paul credits fly fishing and tying legends, Charlie Meck and Mary Dette Clark, for mentoring him during his early years in the fly fishing industry. While living in the Catskills, Paul became a fly fishing guide and production fly tyer. He created new fly patterns and designed his signature hook, the Daiichi model #1230, Weamer’s Truform Mayfly Hook. Paul also wrote his first book, The Fly Fishing Guide to the Upper Delaware River. He would write or co-write six more fly fishing books over the next fifteen years: Tying Dry Flies (with Jay Nichols, Charlie Craven, and Mike Heck), The Pocketguide to Pennsylvania Hatches (with Charlie Meck), The Pocketguide to New York Hatches, The Bug Book, Dry Fly Strategies, and Favorite Flies for Yellowstone National Park. Paul has contributed many articles and photographs to Fly Fisherman magazine, holding various masthead titles throughout his career: Mid-Atlantic Field Editor, Northeast Field Editor, and currently, Contributing Editor.

While writing his books and articles, Paul became one of the most respected aquatic insect photographers and amateur, fly fishing-based aquatic entomologists in the United States. Through his writing, photography, guiding, fly tying, seminars, and fly shop roles, Paul has shared his knowledge and skills with an untold number of fly anglers. He has co-owned or managed five fly shops and/or guide services in New York, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park.

Fly fishing has been Paul’s life’s work, and he has always strongly believed in giving something back to the fish, rivers, and creeks that have given so much to him. He was one of the founders of the conservation organization The Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR). And today he is employed by Montana State University in his role as the Coordinator of the Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteer Program (YFFVP). In this position, directed by Yellowstone’s fisheries biologists, Paul leads teams of volunteers from around the country into the waterways of Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry to gather vital fisheries data through fly fishing. Helping to preserve Yellowstone’s iconic native fish has become one of the most satisfying roles of his long, varied, and celebrated fly fishing career.

Walen "Bud" Francis Lilly was a man whose life embodied the very soul of fly fishing in the American West. He was more than an angler, more than a businessman, and more than a conservationist. He was a teacher, an innovator, a mentor, and a tireless advocate for the rivers, the fish, and the people who love them. He was, as the eminent angler Arnold Gingrich said, “a trout’s best friend.”

Bud was born on a kitchen table in the back of a Manhattan, Montana, barbershop in 1925. He grew up fishing and hunting in the Gallatin Valley, even delivering his daily catch to townsfolk as the Great Depression roared. Though he had many passions, his first love was baseball. By 15, his skills earned him a spot on a local men’s league team, where the scrawny redhead famously slapped a hit to left-center off none other than the legendary Satchel Paige.

An offer from the Cincinnati Reds promised a baseball career, but his service to the nation took precedence. As a Lieutenant J.G. in the Pacific Theater during WWII, he was wounded and awarded a Purple Heart after a Japanese Zero strafing run struck the USS General R.M. Blatchford near war’s end.

After the war, Bud married Patricia Bennett of Three Forks and became a high school science teacher, spending summers building his fly-fishing business in West Yellowstone. In 1961, he opened Bud Lilly's Trout Shop, which quickly became a cornerstone of Western fly fishing culture—a sanctuary where stories were traded like currency, and visitors, whether novices or experts, left enriched. His children, Greg, Mike, and Annette, all joined the business, guiding trips and establishing their own reputations as anglers. After Pat fell ill in 1981, Bud sold the shop the following year. Yet, his legacy endured: the shop continued to operate under his name for 35 years, a testament to the trust and reputation he had built. Decades after the sale, Bud's name remained synonymous with fly fishing, his influence living on in the stories, practices, and culture he had shaped—proof that his imprint went far beyond the riverbanks.

Lilly’s commitment to ethical fishing changed the landscape of the sport. He was one of the earliest and most passionate advocates of catch-and-release fishing, a practice now considered standard among western anglers. In his shop, he even started a club that awarded silver buttons as trophies to replace released trout—a small gesture that, as co-author Paul Schullery noted, “kind of replaced the trout as the 'trophy.’” This ethic wasn’t rooted in abstract environmentalism; it came from his deep respect for the fish and their habitats. By championing these practices, Bud helped make fly fishing more sustainable, more inclusive, and more meaningful.

Throughout his life, Bud served as a guide, not just on rivers, but in life. On the Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin Rivers, he led clients on days remembered not for the trout landed but for the lessons, experiences, and stewardship they carried forward. His famous quip when clients wanted to start fishing at 6 a.m., “Well, fine, I’ll put the coffee on tonight, and I’ll be over about 8:00,” was more than wit. It was wisdom born of decades spent studying the behavior of trout and the nature of the West.  He urges visiting anglers to relax and enjoy the experience: “You’re out here to have fun. You wouldn’t fish 16 hours a day back home, and you don’t have to do it here.” These are more than tips; they are invitations to a fuller way of living.

Even after Pat’s passing, Bud’s dedication to fly-fishing and conservation never wavered. He channeled his energy into his work with Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly-Fishers, where his passion led him to meet Esther Neufeld, then the executive director of the Fly Fishing Federation. They fell in love, married, and raised two more children, Alisa and Chris. Bud’s advocacy continued through the books and film projects he created, all of which championed the preservation of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

As a founding member of Trout Unlimited, Bud served as an early bridge between anglers and conservation policy. His work with the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation helped returning veterans find healing and peace through fly fishing. He didn’t just fish trout streams; he protected them, advocated for them, and made them more accessible to others. Bud believed deeply in the role of public lands, and he was unafraid to speak up when access to or the health of those lands was threatened.

His written works, especially A Trout’s Best Friend and Bud Lilly’s Guide to Fly Fishing the New West, both co-authored with Paul Schullery, are considered foundational texts. The books are not just a manual—but a philosophy. In it, Bud shares his techniques—his preference for large streamers, his insights on hopper fishing, and his love of fishing during mountain rainstorms—but also his heart. It is infused with humor, grace, and wisdom.

The book’s resonance extended widely. Publisher Frank Amato called it “an indispensable introduction for the newcomer and a source of surprising new ideas even for the old hand,” while Gary Tanner, Director of the American Museum of Fly Fishing, praised its conservation ethic and sense of history. The legendary Lefty Kreh called it “a must-read book for anyone who enjoys the great trout waters of the western U.S.,” and NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw, an avid fly fisherman, referred to Bud as “a founding father of modern western trout fishing—and his book is an invaluable guide.” These endorsements reflect what anglers and conservationists alike recognized in Bud—an enduring voice of integrity, stewardship, and joy.

Though his books and plaques offer a glimpse into his impact, Bud Lilly's true legacy thrives in the mindful cast of today's anglers, in their understanding that the pursuit is rooted in care for the health of the water, the well-being of the trout, and the respect among fellow anglers. He was instrumental in shaping the sport into what it is now: a tool for environmental stewardship, a vehicle for timeless stories, and a source of solace and healing.

Bud's influence is deeply woven into the culture of Montana and American angling. He brought national and international attention to its waters not through marketing or flash, but through integrity and excellence. His life was a bridge: from science to sport, from wilderness to community, from solitary experience to collective responsibility.

Bud’s legacy endures at Montana State University, where he received an honorary doctorate and gave it the nickname “Trout U.” He played a pivotal role in creating the University Library’s Bud Lilly Trout and Salmonid Initiative, building what would become the world’s largest research collection for all things trout and salmonids. Today, the collection is maintained and expanded by his son, Chris Lilly, President of the MSU Library Board of Directors. Bud’s influence is also reflected in honors such as the Aldo Starker Leopold Wild Trout Medal and an induction into the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame. Though not the first to champion catch-and-release, his role in making it mainstream transformed the sport. As Lefty Kreh noted, “He brought a new respect and understanding to trout fishing that few others could match,” a fitting testament to the enduring mark he left on the sport.

He was a devoted family man, and he welcomed everyone into his extended family of anglers. Whether through mentoring young guides, engaging in public discourse about conservation, or sharing a story with passersby while holding court with Esther in his latter years in front of their historic Three Forks home, the “Anglers Retreat,” Bud gave himself completely. Many are better off for his labor, his love, and the lasting gifts he gave us.

In his later years, Bud’s eyesight was diminished by macular degeneration, and he could no longer cast a line himself. Still, he rarely strayed from the riverbank, fishing vicariously through others—pointing out where to cast, which fly to use, and, with a wry smile, what they might be doing wrong.

Bud often said, ‘The trout can’t tell the difference between a $3,000 rod and a $30 one.’ He believed that fly fishing was never about the gear but about connecting people to the outdoors and sharing the complete experience—the essence of wild trout in wild rivers.

The “total experience.”  

To say he deserves a place in the Catskills Fly Fishing Hall of Fame is true. But more than that—it feels right. Like putting a trophy rainbow back in the stream or going home skunked, but thankful for the sublime day on the water with your thoughts at peace, listening to the wind and the riffle.

He passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. His heart—big as a river, and just as generous—finally gave out. But his story, his impact, and his values are still with us. They ripple through every thoughtful cast, every trout released, every kid handed their first fly rod with a little advice and a lot of patience. He didn’t just change fly fishing; he elevated it.

Adriano Manocchia was born in New York City. He received a Bachelors degree from Pace University and spent the following 12 years as a photojournalist traveling the world before turned his attention to painting in 1984. His waterscapes and sporting scenes quickly received the attention of critics worldwide. Adriano’s work is in major private collections in North America, Europe and Japan. His paintings graced magazines around the world like Gray’s Sporting Journal, Sporting Classic, Sports Afield, Fly Fod & Reel, Outdoor Life, Pescare (Italy), Flyfisher (Japan). He is not just a painter but a story-teller, using a paint brush to inspire emotions. An old creel, bamboo rod, a creased photo, become the elements of a story. Water with its sounds, colors, movement, have always awakened a deep response in him. One of the predominant responses from anglers is that sense of peacefulness one feels while viewing his paintings. “My paintings are my emotions; I paint what moves me. It is that incessant search for the visually stimulating that makes this voyage exciting.” Today, when not in his studio Adriano enjoys his antique cars and fishing the Battenkill near his farm in upstate New York.

Walt Carpenter is a legendary master bamboo rod maker. From his work at H. L. Leonard to managing the E. F. Payne Rod Company and operating his own W. E. Carpenter Rod Company, Carpenter has become nationally and internationally renowned. His workmanship, actions, and historical applications have kept the Hudson Valley School of Rodmaking in the forefront. The Carpenter family has created the Carpenter Collection and Hudson Valley Rod Shop. It is a working museum assembled around the Kosmic/Thomas beveler from 1889 and includes the machinery from Payne, Thomas, and Leonard to teach the American rod making craft.

August 9, 1593 to December 15, 1683

Modern angling’s debt to Isaac Walton is incalculable. His The Compleat Angler was first published in 1653 and in four progressively larger editions before his death at age 90. It stands as the only fishing book among

the classics of English Literature. Its hundreds of later reprintings rank it and very few other works behind only the Bible and the works of Shakespeare among English-language books. Though among the finest angling books of its age, the book has long been even more celebrated as a masterly pastoral idyll, a pioneering expression of environmental conscience, and at all times an unmatched exemplar of what we now regard as the foremost Waltonian sentiment, that the angler should “study to be quiet.” Walton capped his literary legacy by including, the final edition of the Compleat Angler to be published during his life (1676), his dear friend and fishing companion Charles Cotton’s milestone “Being Instructions how to angle for trout or grayling in a clear stream.” Largely devoted to fly fishing—of which Cotton was a master—this essay itself survived for centuries for its instructional values, as well as an additional testament to the joys and rewards of fly fishing—thus making Walton’s imperishable book just that much more complete.

Dan Bailey (1904-1982), a humble angler, found joy in quiet exploration and the art of fly fishing, particularly on hidden streams. Unlike trophy hunters, he wasn't one to brag about catches. His passion was the experience, connecting with nature and the thrill of the chase. Though details of his life are private, his legacy lives on through his Montana fly shop, established in 1938.

Beyond business, Bailey championed wild trout. He co-founded Montana's first Trout Unlimited chapter and fought a two-decade battle against a dam threatening the Yellowstone River. Recognizing the value of healthy fisheries, Bailey advocated for conservation through groups like the Sierra Club. His dedication earned him a "Dan Bailey Fishing Day" in 1982, a lasting tribute to his work protecting Montana's waters.

A nationally and internationally recognized fly tier, fly fisher and fly-fishing writer, Mike Valla has been fly-fishing and tying trout flies for over 55 years. Mike received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University where he studied Fisheries Biology and Natural Resources. He studied for four years at Georgetown University where he obtained a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Now retired from the Medical/Dental staff at Glens Falls Hospital in the Adirondacks of New York, where he practiced public health dentistry for indigent children, Mike spends much of his time writing about fly fishing.

Mike has written numerous feature-length magazine articles for American Fly Fishing, Fly Fisherman, Fly Tyer and The American Fly Fisher. He has been an invited speaker locally, nationally and internationally. Mike is the 4th recipient of the prestigious Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award for his contributions to the art of fly tying. His books include Fly Fishing Guide to New York State, Favorite Flies for the Catskills, Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies, The Founding Flies, Tying the Founding Flies, Tying and Fishing Bucktails and other Hairwings, The Classic Streamer Fly Box, The Classic Wet-Fly Box and, The Classic Dry Fly Box. He is a former member of the CFFCM Board of Directors.

Frank Moore (Jan. 30, 1923-Jan 23, 2022) was an exemplary model of all a fly fisher should be as a sportsman and citizen. Along with his wife Jeanne (Dec. 20, 1925 - ), they leave a lasting legacy of achievements and contributions to the sport and the environment, not just in their native Oregon but nationally.

In 1957, Frank and Jeanne built the Steamboat Inn on the North Umpqua River about 40 miles upstream from Roseberg, Oregon. Steamboat was a mecca for the world’s most capable fly fishermen, eager to accept the challenge of its difficult waters. Known as Citizen Conservationists and advocates for land and stream, their work led to major preservation and reduced decimation of not only their “home waters” but set a national example of what deforestation and development restrictions could do to preserve watersheds and fisheries.

The effectiveness and extent of their efforts are well reflected in the steady stream of prestigious honors and awards they received from a grateful conservation and sporting community. Frank is remembered as an expert angler, especially on “his” steelhead but also as a patient teacher who was generous in sharing his knowledge and techniques.

Jim Green (1920-2004) was one of the most influential fly-casting instructors of the 20th century, teaching his beautifully disciplined style to generations of grateful students. He won the international casting championship, the first of numerous such honors, in Paris at 17. In 1947 he made a then-world-record two-handed cast of 206 feet.

In his productive career, Jim worked with R.L. Winston, the Sunset Line Company, Sevenstrand, Fenwick, and Sage. His pocket guide Fly Casting from the Beginning (1971) and an instructional casting film used by Fenwick and and L.L. Bean introduced countless anglers to the sport’s skills. A pioneer in creation of new fly lines, he also developed the milestone Fenwick Feralite ferrule, and was instrumental in the

creation of the first graphite fly rod, the historic Fenwick HMG series.

Bob’s contributions to the sport of fly fishing over the past 65+ years have been immense. From running the Paul H. Young rod building shop, to starting and running his own business of building fine bamboo rods, Bob has made a lasting impact on fly fishing. He has also been an outstanding advocate for cold water conservation, contributing well over $500,000 to protecting our resources in his lifetime through various charitable events.

His encyclopedic recollections of the past, from his friendships with Geroge Griffiths, Art Neumann, Casey Westfall, and the founding of Trout Unlimited are invaluable first person resource accounts we all should experience.

John “Jack” Atherton (1900-1952)

“Jack” was a nationally renowned artist presented by prominent museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His popularity also graced publications such as the Saturday Evening Post and Fortune magazines.

Jack’s wife, expert fly fisherwoman Maxine Atherton wrote “…in addition to his skills as an accomplished artist and fine sportsman John Atherton was a romantic realist.”

As a renowned fly tier Atherton, combined his two obsessions fly fishing and painting. His most famous axiom, “If you look closely at a live dun you will notice that its coloring is impressionistic and is made up of many small variations in tone such as you would find in the paintings of Monet, Renoir or other impressionist school of art".  Not surprising that Norman Rockwell was a close friend. “The Fly and the Fish” (1951), Atherton’s only book, introduced an atypical methodology to styles of the period.

Jack’s unique fly-tying pallet consisted of various natural materials such as speckled feathers and seal fur.   Atherton’s wonderfully descriptive lexicon for his simple yet sophisticated philosophy embraced the attributes of “glossiness”, “sparkle”, “shimmer”, “tone”, et al. 

His trout, steelhead, and salmon flies enhanced the illusion of life.

Frank Mele (1911-1996)

A first generation Italian-American, Frank Mele (1911-1996) was a child prodigy with the viola playing for the Rochester Symphony by the age of 18 and later with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Modern Art String Quartet. As an author he was known through his works in the Quarterly Review of Literature and his books Polpetto and Small in the Eye of the/a River.

As a fly fisher he was a founder of CATSKILL WATERS, a coalition that battled New York City and their volatile fluctuating water releases, that brought stabilized flows to the Catskills and turned its tailwaters into a world-class fishery.

According to author, publisher, and past Hall of Fame inductee Nick Lyons; “Frank was perhaps the most unique and important fly fisher I have known in the half century I spent writing and publishing books and articles in the field.” Mele’s angling friends included Preston Jennings, Art Flick, Harry and Elsie Darbee, and Syracuse rod maker Dan Brenan. Rod makers Jim Payne and Walt Carpenter were also close. Mele’s knowledge of cane rods was extensive, and his expertise was required by Ernest Schwiebert and Martin Keane when they did research for their works. His first edition of 110 copies of Small in the Eye of the River is a collector’s jewel and can be found in the libraries of The Fly Fisher’s Club in London and The Anglers’ Club of New York.

With New York attempting to save drinking water, the city abused the Catskill tailwaters by running the valves fully open or maddeningly closed. Summer releases at times on the East Branch of the Delaware River were 18.5 cubic feet per second from Pepacton Reservoir and 23.1 cubic feet per second from Cannonsville Reservoir to the West Branch of the Delaware while water temperatures soared into the 80s. Winter releases were a quarter of those values. Fish suffered and were stranded, several major fish kills occurred on the Esopus, and anglers started to rebel. During the winter of 1974-1975, Mele rose to the fight and formed a coalition of anglers, conservationists, journalists, scientists, and politicians called CATSKILL WATERS. CATSKILL WATERS took the fight to Albany and during June 1976 the state government voted by one vote for the Department of Environmental Conservation to manage the reservoirs. The result of this has been controlled, stabilized flows that have made the Catskill tailwaters a world class fishery.

Frank Mele passed away 16 November 1996 and friends released his ashes into the East Branch of the Delaware on 6 April 1997. An honorary bench resides at the park by the covered bridge in Downsville permitting anglers to forever watch the rising trout in his beloved river while scrutinizing the releases from the dam.

Willard H. Godfrey, Jr. (b.1938)

Will’s lifelong commitment to angling is reflected in years of service, a significant impact in conservation of western rivers and a long list of awards, accomplishments and appointments.

Born in Salt Lake City, Will began fly fishing as a boy, when he and his dad floated dry flies in Colorado’s Gunnison River. In college, he started guiding for Bud Lilly, owner of the Trout Shop in West Yellowstone, Montana, where he concentrated on Idaho’s Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

He earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in agriculture economics and started a career in academia. But he couldn’t shake the love of guiding and started a summer side hustle outfitting anglers on the Henry’s Fork. That soon grew into a full-time career with three fly shops and a far-flung outfitting business that catered to anglers across eastern Idaho and in faraway destinations like New Zealand, British Columbia, Canada and the Canadian Maritimes.

He was a charter member of the Federation of Fly Fishers, now Fly Fishers International (FFI), and helped start fly fishing clubs in Boise and other Idaho cities – Pocatello, Twin Falls and St. Anthony – while climbing the volunteer ranks of the organization. He eventually served as vice president of the group. Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus appointed Godfrey to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission in the 1970s where he and his fellow commissioners pushed against currents within the Idaho Fish and Game Department and designated several rivers like the Lochsa, Selway and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River as wild fish sanctuaries.

For the past 20 years he has worked to help the recovery of threatened and endangered anadromous fish in Idaho's Clearwater, Snake and Salmon Rivers. His work currently focuses on wild steelhead. Will has advocated for special steelhead regulations, improvements and protections of wild steelhead spawning habitat, and the elimination of gill nets in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Arnold Gingrich (1903-1976)

In 1933, at the age of 29, Gingrich founded Esquire magazine. It boasts of having published 15 Nobel and 50 Pulitzer prize winners - more than any other magazine in the world. Esquire, Inc., grew under Gingrich's leadership to a diversified corporation with operating groups in the fields of education & leisure in addition to publishing. A scholar, author, and intrepid trout fisherman, Gingrich guided the editorial policies of the magazine for 43 years.

One of Gingrich's first "catches" among authors was Ernest Hemingway. An ardent fan, Gingrich was buying a Hemingway first edition in a used bookshop one day when the author walked in. He immediately signed Hemingway as a contributor to the magazine. The funds from Hemingway’s first contribution helped him procure his beloved and often written about fishing boat, “Pilar.”

In his later years, Gingrich used his pen and rod to weave himself into the very fabric of the history of fly fishing. Hardly a single name of note has been omitted from his pages. So much so that it’s often difficult to tell who he actually knew and who he merely admired. He was close friends with Lee Wulff and Preston Jennings, and quoted Ed Hewitt constantly. He was the best sort of storyteller in that regard. By today’s standards we might call him a name-dropper, but as all four of his fly fishing books were published within nine years (1965-1974) his works stand as both a reflective account of the golden age of the Catskills paired with the region’s excitement regarding the blossoming of the mid-century tailwaters. He fished and wrote about the Esopus extensively, including an account of using LaBranche’s Pink Lady exclusively on its waters for a full season in the early 50s. He kept meticulous records and reported in hindsight that his daily average on the mighty Esopus was “only 6.5 trout per day.” A far cry from his 13.5 fish average in the season of 1956.

Nevertheless, Gingrich was a staunch traditionalist at heart who shunned the invention of nylon leaders and described the modernist writings of folks like Schweibert and Ovington as merely “okay.” He preferred trout on light tackle and shied away from the sirens of the salt who pulled so many of our Catskill heroes toward the larger prey of the Atlantic. Like many of us, he regarded the writings of the giants as gospel, and honored them all in his own published accounts of fishing, of the classic flies, and of rods not made of graphite. Gingrich’s books helped enshrine the history and heritage of fly fishing to his mass audience at a time when the advent of more sophisticated fishing gear threatened to forever silence our traditions. His books stand up as both great storytelling and unique historical accounts of the history of fly fishing. His temperament and joy make Arnold Gingrich a welcome addition to the Catskill Fly Fishing Hall of Fame.

Samuel Phillippe  1801 - 1877

Solon Phillippe 1842 - 1925

Pennsylvania born Samuel Phillippe, a highly skilled gunsmith, violin maker and avid fisherman, believed that the imported rods from Great Britain were overly cumbersome and unwieldy, thus launching his quest to perfect the split bamboo rod. James Henshall would write in his Book of the Black Bass (1881), “Old Sam Phillippe knew just what a trout fly rod should be…” Thaddeus Norris the “Izaak Walton of America”, as well as “Uncle Thad”, was, besides a fishing friend, a noted tackle maker and rod maker as well. One can only imagine their compelling collaborations. An original Samuel Phillippe rod (none known to exist) is considered the “Holy Grail” to many collectors. Samuel’s son, Solon, joined the company a few years before Samuel’s death in 1877. Collectors have argued that Solan’s magnificent fly rods, adorned with elaborately carved grips, ferrules, rod seats and butts, and exceptionally crafted reels, have exceeded the artistry of his father.

Steve Raymond, a native of Bellingham, Washington, was born to parents who were both fly fishers and started him fishing at an early age. He later made friends with three of the great pioneers of Northwest fly fishing, Enos Bradner, Letcher Lambuth and Ralph Wahl, who became his fishing mentors. He also joined their club, the Washington Fly Fishing Club in Seattle, later serving as its president. He was a charter member of the Federation of Fly Fishermen, editor of its magazine, The Flyfisher, and later became an honorary life member of the FFF (now called  Fly Fishing International). 

A University of Washington graduate, Raymond served as a Navy officer, then embarked on a 30-year-career as a reporter, editor and manager at the Seattle Times. He also wrote frequently for other publications, most notably Sports Illustrated and Fly Fisherman, and his work eventually appeared in at least 24 magazines. He is author of a dozen fly-fishing books, including two award-winning classics, The Year of the Angler and The Year of the Trout, both celebrating the awe and privilege of fishing for beautiful wild fish in beautiful wild places. Other titles include Steelhead Country, The Estuary Flyfisher, Rivers of the Heart, Blue Upright, Nervous Water and Trout Quintet.

Of his books, Fly Fisherman magazine said: “Steve Raymond long ago established himself as an important literary voice and environmental conscience for contemporary fly fishing. He is the kind of regional writer whose fidelity to what he knows makes him universal.” He also reviewed fishing books for several publications over a period of 35 years, and his work was published in nine anthologies. His manuscripts and papers are now part of special collections at the Western Washington University libraries in Bellingham.

After his retirement from the Seattle Times, Raymond became editor of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters magazine until its sale. He received the Roderick Haig-Brown Award for significant contributions to angling literature, the ”Angul” Award for “outstanding contributions to the Heritage and Preservation of the Arte and Science of Fly Fishing in British  Columbia,” the Letcher Lambuth Angling Craftsman and Tommy Brayshaw Awards from the Washington Fly Fishing Club, and the Gil Nyerges Award from the Whidbey Island Fly Fishing Club. He represented Washington State’s fly-fishing clubs in negotiations with President Carter’s Task Force on Northwest Fisheries, seeking settlement of the sometimes violent conflict over local tribal fishing rights, and served as Western vice president of the Museum of American Fly Fishing. He also curated a highly successful exhibit on the history of Northwest fly fishing at the Whatcom Museum of History and Art in his home town of Bellingham. 

Though he has fished all over the world, Raymond’s first love has always been the trout, steelhead and salmon of Pacific Northwest waters. He pioneered fly fishing for winter steelhead in the saltwater estuaries of Puget Sound and introduced the now popular tactic of using skated dry flies to catch sea-run cutthroat and coho salmon in those estuaries. He also is originator of several Northwest trout and steelhead fly patterns.

Raymond and his wife, Joan—now a “retired” fly fisher, but a good one!—reside on Whidbey Island in northern Puget Sound.

Charlie, an author, innovator, and fly designer of national importance was born and raised in Schuylkill Haven, a small town in rural eastern Pennsylvania where his fervor for fly fishing commenced upon catching a nine-inch brookie.

 After honorably serving his country in the Korean conflict, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Penn State, then his Master of Administration from the University of Scranton.  Charlie taught at Penn State in Continuing Education for over 25 years taking early retirement after completing his first book “Meeting and Fishing the Hatches”.  

 He was a kind, humble, unpretentious, and generous person teaching and inspiring thousands of anglers through his many books, articles, videos, macro aquatic insect photography, and classes.  His “Pennsylvania Trout Streams and their Hatches” became the ultimate guidebook for his home state, selling over 100,000 copies.  

After reading a fisheries biologist’s report about trout being attracted to the color blue, he experimented soon creating his most well-known fly, The Patriot. This extremely effective red, white, and blue dry fly has become one of the best-selling attractor patterns across the nation.

He was a member of the Outdoor Writers Association and PA Outdoor Writers Associations when inducted into the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, joining many of luminaries such as George Harvey, Joe Humphries and Charlie Fox.

Charlie was an elite practitioner, promotor, writer, teacher, and amateur entomologist.

Born in Canterbury, Kent, England in January 1953, Charles started fishing at the age of three (perch). (Is everyone’s first fish a perch?) He attended art colleges in Canterbury and Medway, receiving a Diploma in Art and Design, and started journalism and art work on natural history subjects and angling at local newspapers within the Kent Messenger Group at the age of 19. 

Charles fished a lot - on rivers, but increasingly on still waters - both for tench, pike roach! He gained the Association of Professional Game Angling Instructors qualification during this period. In 1986 Charles pursued a full-time career in both art and journalism and illustrated his first book for Bill Currie’s Days and Nights of Game Angling and increased contributions for eMap GPS angling titles. He also illustrated for the then-Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and gained the prestigious Society of Wildlife Artists accolade.

During the 1980s and 90s, Charles wrote two books: the critically acclaimed Dark Pools, concerning chalk stream fly fishing, and the Sotheby’s Guide to Fly Fishing For Trout. He also crafted the smaller accompanying volume, The Fly Fisher’s Catch, widely used in both the UK and USA by newcomers as a comprehensive guide to the sport.

In the new millenium, he became the Angling Director for the Countryside Alliance, creating the groundbreaking Water Matters pack dedicated to taking fishing into the classroom for schoolchildren aged 11 to 14.

Most recently, Charles received the FFF Ambassadors Award - a very rare honor - for growing the sport worldwide, and also gained accreditation in European and USA FFF Masters Fly-Casting. He also demonstrates fly fishing and fly casting throughout the world and fishes in as many places as he can. Slovenia, Italy, Denmark, Africa, Czech Republic, Cuba, Bahamas, and of course the UK and the USA all have been kind.

Charles was part of Team Sage for nearly 15 years and has assisted companies like Shakespeare, Rio, Fulling Mill, and more recently Simms and recently designed a best selling ange of fly lines for Wychwood.. He also enjoyed being able to write for all the UK’s fly fishing magazines: Trout & Salmon, Trout Fisherman, Stillwater Trout Angler, Total/Today’s Fly Fisher, Fly Fishing & Fly Tying and other publications. He currently writes for The Field magazine and is in the throes of constructing a new book.

He continues to fish and paint unabated and write for Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine each month and also is angling columnist for The Field. And very proudly, he is currently Director of Fishing 4 Schools, an initiative he started that takes angling into schools, working with young people from varied backgrounds. And to cap it all, he has been made Director of the national England Youth Fly Fishing Team. In recent years and fished as part of the England Squad in the last Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships held in New Zealand.

William Taylor was born in Paterson New Jersey to Robert and Ellen Taylor (ca. 1890) & married Anna and together they ran a confectionary store in Paterson, NJ.

About 1920 Bill bought the book, "The Idyll of the Split Bamboo" by Dr. George Parker Holden. In 1925 Bill rode his motorcycle to upstate New York, (Highland Mills) to E.F. Payne Rod Co, to purchase some bamboo. Jim Payne refused to sell Bill bamboo as he was riding a motorcycle with a sidecar. Frank Oram, who was a partner in E.F. Payne, waited until Mr. Payne left for the day and gathered several culms of cane and other supplies for him and sent him on his way. Bill placed the cane in the sidecar and went on his way down Route 17, back to Paterson.

Two years later, Bill, was able to successfully design and build his first fly rod from that cane. Bill christened the fly rod by casting and catching a trout on his first outing on the Wallkill River. (This first fly rod is currently housed in the Joan Wulff exhibit, as Bill gifted the fly rod to her).

Bill's fly rods were built for power and accuracy. He eventually incorporated a thumb piece to ensure increased power to the cast. Bill would meticulously work on each fly rod and would de-assemble the rod if it did not meet his expectations. When he finally approved of the development, he would stamp the insignia “Taylor Made” at the base of the fly rod. Bill was a member of the Paterson Fly Casting Club and traveled across the United States competing in fly casting competitions, competing in his last event in 1969 in Cincinnati, finishing 7th. In 1951, Bill competed in the National Association of Angling and Casting Clubs Tournament finishing with a cast of 143 feet for 3rd place. In 1957 in Barberton Ohio Bill cast 153 feet for average with the longest cast of 157 feet for 8th place overall.

Throughout his life he would assist and coach individuals using “Taylor Made” fly rods. These individuals consisted of Johnny Dieckman and Gene Andregg, but his most famous student was Joan Salvato whom he met when she was 18 years old in Paterson New Jersey. Bill’s fly rod design was used as a pattern for rods designed by Charles Ritz, and made by Pezon et Michel in France. Bill moved from Paterson to his nephew Roland Taylor's home in Union Center, NY in the late 60’s at the age of 77, where he continued to craft fly rods, as well as tie flies.

"As a young boy, my brother and I, remember him standing on a platform casting for hours. He would sit in his room and shave down cane day after day, until he felt it was ready to be assembled. Even upon assembly the rod needed to pass Bill's tests to receive the “Taylor Made” stamp of approval." -Dave and John Taylor (Bill's great nephews)

Bill was proud of his accomplishments but did not brag about them.

"As a young boy I can remember him speaking of several things, one being that he had the opportunity to fish with another of today’s inductees, Ted Williams, and the other was working with Joan Salvato." -John Taylor (Bill's great nephew)

Bill passed away at the age of 88 in upstate New York and enjoyed the art of fly-casting and all that it included right up to his death.

Ted Williams! Even the name inspires awe! "The last of the 400 hitters," "The Kid" and bearing other nicknames, he was regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.

Born August 30, 1918, named Theodore Samuel Williams, and passed on July 5, 2002, Ted was also a great fly fisher. Williams believed that there were three fish worthy of any true sportsman: tarpon, bonefish and Atlantic salmon. After he retired, following a 19 year career in baseball, mostly at the Boston Red Sox, interrupted for periods of military service in World War 2 and the Korean War, he spent time between a home on the Miramichi River where he salmon fished and Islamorada, Florida where he sought tarpon and bonefish.

Williams called the Atlantic salmon "the greatest of game fish" according to John Underwood, who in 1982 coauthored with Ted a book entitled Ted Williams Fishing "The Big Three."

Ted Williams made what is thought to be the first commercial sports endorsement in history when he made a deal with Sears Roebuck (brokered by another HOF member, Ted Rogowski) and promoted sales of fishing tackle, thus encouraging millions of persons to take up the sport.

For being an icon of fly fishing and for inspiring countless anglers, Ted Williams is now inducted into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame.